Biodiesel trial launched by Merseytravel and Stagecoach11 November 2010

An initiative to run buses on biofuel supplied by Convert2Green has been launched by Merseytravel and Stagecoach.

The green effort forms part of the BIONIC project, funded by the European Commission, and supported by Intelligent Energy Europe.

It will be coordinated in Europe by Merseytravel, with the aim of promoting the production and use of sustainably-produced biofuels.

"By supporting this trial and working with local producers, we are at the forefront of promoting fully sustainable biofuels and reducing CO2 emissions," comments Neil Scales, chief executive of Merseytravel.

Under the terms of the two-year deal, Merseytravel will be funding the refuelling infrastructure, allowing a proportion of the Stagecoach fleet to run on B30 biodiesel. The operator claims that use of this fuel will cut CO2 emissions from its buses by a full quarter, compared with equivalent conventional diesel-powered vehicles.

Merseytravel and Stagecoach hope that the trial will provide much-needed confidence in biofuels for UK bus operators. The trial results, due to be published by Merseytravel, will focus on vehicle reliability and fuel consumption, with lessons learnt being used to support other bus operators that want to use sustainable biofuels.

Author
John Challen

Related Companies
Convert2Green Ltd
Stagecoach in Fife Ltd

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